Shoe rest



S. J. FINN Jan. 19, 1937.v

SHOE REST Filed oct. 29, 1935 Patented Jan. 19, 1937 PAT OFFICE SHOE REST Application October 29, 1935, Serial No. 47,281

9 Claims.

This invention relates to shoe rests for supporting or controlling shoes on their lasts by pressure on the tops of the foreparts of the shoes. lSuch shoe rests are commonly used in bed-lasting machines for supporting each shoe against pressure applied on the bottom of the forepart in the lasting operation, and the invention is herein illustrated with reference to its use in a machine of that kind. It is to be understood, however, that shoe rests embodying the novel features of the invention are well adapted also for use in other maclL'nes to support shoes against pressure applied on their bottom faces or to force the shoes against means acting on the bottom portions thereof, such as sole-laying or leveling machines or sole-attaching machines. y

In order to support or control a shoe in the best marinera shoe rest acting as above described should apply firm pressure to lthe shoe. Under some conditions, however, there is danger of indenting or otherwise damaging the shoe upper if too much pressure per unit of area is applied to any portion of the top of the forepart of the upper. With these and other considerations in view, the present invention provides a construction such that the pressure of the shoe rest on the top' of the forepart is sufficiently firm or unyielding for the best results in the control of the shoe, and is yet distributed uniformly over a sufficiently wide area to avoid any danger of damage to the shoe. To effect such an even distribution of the pressure the shoe rest herein shown comprises a group of loose elements which adjust themselves in accordance with the contour of the shoe before applying the full pressure to the shoe, theseelements being controlled by a holder relatively to which they become substantially fixed or immovable after their conformity to the contour of the shoe. Preferably, as illustrated, the loose elements consist of small metal balls, although the invention is not limited to elements of that particular shape or character. To facilitate the conformity of the group of balls to the shoe and yet to render them sufficiently effective in the application of pressure to the shoe, the construction shown further includes a plurality of pins which positively confine the group of balls laterally but are yieldable heightwise of the shoe in response to pressure of the shoe thereon. Extending over the group of balls and the ends of the pins nearest the shoe is a relatively soft ilexible cover which may be made of leather or any other. suitable material and portions of which extend heightwise of the shoe and are connected tothe above-mentioned holder. As further herein illustrated, there is associated with the group of balls and the pins, under the flexible cover, a block of comparatively soft rubber so located as to permit it to yield against the pressure of the relatively sharp or prominent instep ridge found on lasts of certain styles in case the shoe rest engages the shoe close to the instep, thus facilitating conformity of other portions of the shoe rest to the shoe under those conditions, as more fully hereinafter explained.

The above and other features of the invention, including various novel details of construction and combinations of parts, will noW be more particularly described by reference to the accompanying drawing and thereafter pointed out in the claims.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a view partly in elevation and partly in section showing a shoe rest constructed in accordance with the invention and illustrating its relation to a shoe in a bed-lasting machine;

Fig. 2 is a section on the line II-II of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a section on the line III--III of Fig. 1.

In Figs. 1 and 2 a shoe on its last is shown with the margin of the toe end of the upper materials in lasted relation to an insole and held under the downward pressure of the toe-lasting wipers 2 of a bed-lasting machine in which the shoe is mounted. Such a machine may be, for example, one of the well-known type illustrated in United States Letters Patent No. 1,018,477, granted on February 27, 1912 upon an application of Matthias Brock. The forepart of the shoe is supported against the downward pressure of the wipers by a shoe rest constructed in accordance with the present invention and arranged to engage the upper on the top of the forepart. This shoe rest includes a holder 4 mounted as hereinafter described on the upper end of a post 6 which is supported., for example, in the same manner as the rod 2t shown in the above-mentioned Letters Patent. The holder 4 has therein a recess 8 which contains the lower portion of a group of small metal balls I0. These-balls may be made, for example, of steel. The group of balls extends upwardly a considerable distance above the recess in the holder, and is there confined laterally on all sides by a plurality of pins I2 slidingly mounted for downward and upward movements in sock ets in the holder 4. The pins I2 are spaced apart at distances less than the diameter of any of the balls l0 so as to prevent escape of the latter, and on three sides of the group ofl balls the pins are controlled by springs I4 mounted in the holder 4 55 of which the pins are downwardly movable. At the remaining side of the group of balls, where the top of the holder 4 is preferably lower than in other locations because of proximity to the downwardly curved instep portion of the shoe and last and therefore aords less bearing for the pins I2, the pins are similarly controlled by springs I6 which bear at their lower ends on the top of the holder and at their upper ends on enlarged heads formed on the pins.

Extending over the top of the group of balls and the upper ends of the pins, i. e. the ends located nearest the shoe, is a flexible cover I8 made of relatively soft material for engagement with the shoe upper at the top of the forepart without damage to the surface of the upper. It is contemplated that preferably the cover I8 will be made of soft leather, although other material, such as rubber, may be used, if desired. At the left and right of the group of balls and their conning pins, as the parts are viewed in Fig. 1, the cover I8 extends heightwise of the shoe and its opposite marginal portions are connected to the holder 4 by headed studs 20 projecting from the holder through slits in the cover. It will be understood that the cover I8 is held tightly enough over the balls and the pins to prevent any of the balls from escaping past the upper ends of the pins. The balls are, however, suciently loose initially to permit them to adjust themselves readily to the contour of the top of the forepart of the shoe when the shoe rest first presses on th-e shoe. In this operation the pins I2 may yield downwardly more or less in response to pressure of the shoe on their upper ends through the flexible cover I8, and the balls Ill, after adjusting themselves to the contour of the shoe, become substantially fixed relatively to the holder 4 so that they serve to transmit pressure positively from the holder to the shoe. Since this pressure is evenly distributed over the entire area of the upper opposite the group of balls, there is no danger of indenting or otherwise damaging the upper by reason of excess of pressure in any location.

In order to facilitate conformity of the shoe rest to the contour of a shoe in case the shoe rest engages the shoe close to the relatively sharp instep ridge found on lasts of certain styles, as may happen, for example, in operating on a cornparatively small shoe, the shoe rest herein shown is provided with a block 22 of comparatively soft' rubber located in position to receive the pressure of such an instep ridge on the last. It will be noted by reference to Fig. 3 that several of the row of pins I2 at that side of the group of balls which is farthest from the end of the toe of the shoe are oiset toward the end of the toe relatively to others in that row, and in the recess thus provided the block 22 is located. The block is beneath the cover I8 and is convexly curved on the side toward the shoe, as shown in Fig. l. It will be evident that this construction affords provision for the necessary conformity of the shoe rest to the contour of the shoe and last without undue depression of any of the above-mentioned row of pins I2 or excessive pressure laterally thereof such as might cramp them in their bearings in the holder 4.

The shoe rest above described is further so mounted as to permit it to swing in a direction toward the heel end of the shoe about an axis extending widthwise of the shoe. For this purpose the holder 4 is provided with downwardly under their lower ends and against the resistance extending lugs 24 in which is secured a pin 2G rotatable in a bearing in the upper end of the post 6. The shoe rest is held normally in a definite relation to the post 6, determined by engagement of a downward projection 28 on the holder 4 with a shoulder 30 on the post, by means of a spring 32 connected at its upper end to a pin 34 on the holder and at its lower end to a pin 36 on the post. This construction serves to avoid rubbing of the shoe on the shoe rest in the jacking of the shoe firmly against the heel band in the operation of a machine of the type disclosed in the previously mentioned Letters Patent, since the shoe rest will swing in response to frictional engagement of the shoe therewith as the shoe is forced lengthwise against the heel band. For better accommodation to the positions of the foreparts of right and left shoes, the shoe rest is further so mounted as to permit limited free bodily movement thereof in directions widthwise of the shoe. This is accomplished by mounting the pin 2B to slide freely lengthwise with the holder 4 in its bearing in the post 6. It will be understood that the spring 32 opposes no substantial resistance to such rectilinear bodily movement of the shoe rest, so that when the latter is moved to either extreme position, determined by engagement of one or the other of the lugs 24 with the post 6, it will remain in that position.

Having described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a shoe rest, a holder arranged to face the top of the forepart of a shoe, a group of loose elements between said holder and the shoe relatively movable in all directions and arranged to adjust themselves in accordance with the contour of the top of the forepart of the shoe, means positively confining said group of elements laterally but yieldable in a direction heightwise of the shoe in response to pressure of the shoe thereon, and a relatively soft flexible cover interposed between said group of elements and the shoe upper.

2. In a shoe rest, a holder arranged to face the top of the forepart of a shoe, a group of metal balls between said holder and the shoe arranged to adjust themselves in accordance with the contour of the top of the `forepart of the shoe, a plurality of pins confining said group of balls laterally but yieldable in directions heightwise of the shoe in response to pressure of the shoe thereon, and a relatively soft flexible, cover interposed between said group of balls and the shoe and extending over the ends of said pins nearest the shoe.

3. In a shoe rest, a holder arranged to face the top of the forepart of a shoe, a group of loose elements between said holder and the shoe arranged to adjust themselves in accordance with the contour of the top of the forepart of the shoe, a plurality of spring-controlled pins confining said group of elements laterally but yieldable in directions heightwise of the shoe in response to pressure of the shoe thereon, and a leather cover extending over said group of elements and the ends of the pins nearest the shoe with opposite marginal portions thereof connected to said holder.

4. In a shoe rest, a holder arranged to face the top of the forepart of a shoe, a group of metal balls between said holder and the shoe arranged .to adjust themselves in accordance with the contour of the top of the forepart of the shoe, a plurality of pins confining said group of balls laterally but yieldable in directions heightwise of the shoe in response to pressure of the shoe thereon,

and a relatively soft flexible cover interposed between said group of balls and the shoe and extending over the ends of said pins nearest the shoe, said cover having portions thereof extending heightwise of the shoe and connected to said holder.

5.r In a shoe rest, a holder arranged to face the top of the forepart of a shoe on a last, a group of loose elements between said holder and the shoe arranged to adjust themselves in accordance with the contour of the top of the forepart of the shoe, a plurality of spring-controlled pins comprising a row ci pins located at the side of said group of loose elements -farthest from the end of the toe of the shoe for confining said group of elements laterally, said pins being yieldable in directions heightwise of the shoe in response to pressure of the shoe thereon, a flexible cover extending over said group of elements and the ends or" the pins nearest the shoe, and a block of rubber located under said cover and adjacent to said row of pins to receive the pressure of the instep ridge of the last.

6. In a shoe rest, a holder arranged to face the top of the forepart of a shoe on a last, a group of metal balls between sai-d holder and the shoe arranged to adjust themselves in accordance with the contour of the top of the forepart of the shoe, a plurality of spring-controlled pins comprising a row of pins located at that side of the group of balls farthest from the end of the toe of the shoe for confining the group of balls laterally, some of said row of pins being offset relatively to the others in the direction of the end of the toe of the shoe, a flexible cover extending over said group of balls and the ends of the pins nearest the shoe, and a block of rubber located under said cover in the recess provided by said oiset pins to receive the pressure of the instep ridge of the last.

'7. In a shoe rest, a holder arranged to face the top of the forepart of a shoe, a group of loose elements between said holder and the shoe arranged to adjust themselves in accordance with the contour of the top of the forepart of the shoe, means on said holder positively conning said group of elements laterally but yieldable in a direction heightwise of the shoe in response to pressure of the shoe thereon, and a flexible cover interposed between said group of elements and the shoe, said holder being mounted for substantially free rectilinear movements in directions widthwise of the shoe.

8. In a shoe rest, a holder arranged to face the top of the forepart of a shoe, a group of loose elements between said holder and the shoe arranged to adjust themselves in accordance with the contour of the top of the forepart of the shoe, means on said holder positively conning said group of elements laterally but yieldable in a direction heightwise of the shoe in response to pressure of the shoe thereon, aflexible cover interposed between sai-d group of elements and the shoe, means supporting said holder for movement in a heel- Ward direction lengthwise of the shoe in response to frictional engagement of the shoe with the shoe rest, and a spring against the resistance of which the holder is thus movable.

9. In a shoe rest, a holder arranged to face the top of the forepart of a shoe, a group of metal halls between said holder and the shoe arranged to adjust themselves in accordance with the contour of the top of the forepart of the shoe, a plurality of pins on said holder confining said group of balls laterally `but yieldable in directions heightwise of the shoe in response to pressure of the kshoe thereon, a flexible cover interposed between said group of balls and the shoe and extending over the ends of said pins nearest the shoe, means supporting said holder for swinging movement in a heelward direction lengthwise of the shoe in response to frictional engagement of the shoe with the shoe rest, and a spring against the resistance of which the holder is thus movable.

SIDNEY J. FINN. 

